New York Times reporter leaves mainland China

New
York, December 31, 2012--The New York Times
reported today that one of its correspondents in China, Chris Buckley, has had
to leave the mainland because Chinese authorities have not issued him a visa
for 2013.

Buckley,
who rejoined the Times in September
and has worked as a journalist in China since 2000, flew to Hong Kong on
Monday, the newspaper reported.
The Times said it had made numerous
attempts to secure credentials for Buckley.

"CPJ
is concerned that Chinese authorities have not renewed Chris Buckley's visa,"
said Bob Dietz, CPJ's Asia program coordinator. "We urge authorities to approve
his credentials as soon as possible."

Chinese
authorities have exerted growing pressure on international news outlets,
according to CPJ research. Melissa Chan, a correspondent for Al-Jazeera, was
forced to leave the country in May after the Chinese government declined
to renew her credentials. The Times and
Bloomberg News were censored
domestically in 2012 after they reported on the financial assets held by the
families of top leaders, including the incoming president, Xi Jinping.

The
Times said it has six other
accredited correspondents in China, and their visas were renewed for 2013 in a
timely manner. The Times said it is still
waiting for Chinese authorities to approve the accreditation of the paper's new
Beijing bureau chief.